Unidentified miscreants torched 38 polling centres in at least 28 districts including the capital, Dhaka, during a span of nearly 12 hours till this morning.
The violence was reported from Rajshahi, Nilphamari, Narsingdi, Kishoreganj, Feni, Kurigram and Natore.
Prothom Alo reports: Violence took place in several districts including Jhenidah, Netrakona, Bogra, Brahmanbaria, Kushtia, Pirojpur and Barguna.
TV channels also reported similar incidents in 11 other districts including Rangpur, Sylhet, Manikganj, Bagerhat, Kushtia, Sherpur, Bhola, Laxmipur, Gaibandha and Barisal.
RAJSHAHI
Miscreants set fire to three polling centres in Charghat upazila in between 10:00pm and 11:00pm, said Sub-Inspector (SI) Nazrul Islam, duty officer of Charghat Police Station.
Unidentified miscreants poured kerosene and torched Sarda Pilot High School, Solua Degree College and Nandangachhi Kalaripar Primary School, the SI said.
FENI
Miscreants set fire to three polling centers in Sonagazi upazila around 1:00am, said Subhash Chandra Paul, OC of Sonagazi Police Station.
Of the three centres, two was government primary schools and the other was Mangalkandi Union Health Complex in the upazila.
This photo shows burnt down furniture of an office room at Government Boroil Primary School of Sadar upazila in Dinajpur. Miscreants set fire to them early Saturday.
Source: TV grab
This photo shows burnt down furniture of an office room at Government Boroil Primary School of Sadar upazila in Dinajpur. Miscreants set fire to them early Saturday.
KISHOREGANJ
Miscreants set fire to three polling centers in Karimganj upazila around 1:30am, said Liton Kumar Saha, additional superintended of police (ASP).
Locals doused the flames immediately, said the ASP.
Doors and windows of Namapara Government Primary School were burnt while names and details of two other centers could not be known immediately.
NARSINGDI
Miscreants torched Baniachal Government Primary School polling center pouring Kerosene around 10:30pm yesterday.
Books kept at two rooms of the school were gutted in the arson attack, said Nepal Saha, headmaster of the school.
NATORE
Miscreants set fire to Khidra Boria High School polling centre in Singra upazila early in the morning.
Locals however doused the fire before it could damage much except burning couple of doors, said UNO Salma Khatun.
Besides, miscreants also blasted crude bombs near Ramananda Khajura School and Koyapara Koigram Government Primary School polling centres in the upazila.
TANGAIL
Unidentified miscreants set fire to three poling centers under two constituencies — Tangail-5 (Sadar) and Tangail-2 (Gopalpur-Bhuapur) — in Sadar upazila early today.
The centers are: Dheli Karatia Government Primary School and HM Institution School and College and Mahmudpur Government Primary School.
Only doors and windowpanes of the educational institutions were burnt as locals doused the flame immediately, police said.
MANIKGANJ
Miscreants torched three polling centers in Ghior and Shibalaya upazilas since 11:00pm yesterday to 1:30am, police confirmed.
Of the centres, Begum Narchi Government Primary School situated in Ghior while the others — Nahalpur and Poyla government primary schools in Shibalaya.
COMILLA
Three polling centres at Laksham upazila were torched around 3:00am, said Harunur Rashid, the OC (investigation) of Laksham Police Station.
The centres are: Atakara, Batkhali and Damoicha government primary schools in the upazila, the police official said.
JHENIDAH
Miscreants poured petrol and set afire the Lalit Mohan Bhuiyan Government Primary School in municipality area where chair, table, benches and others were burnt, said Ashrakul Bari, officer-in-charge (OC) of Shailkupa Police Station.
On information firefighters rushed in and doused the fire, the police official said.
NETRAKONA
Miscreants torched Chandankanti, Madanpur and Manag government primary schools in Sadar upazila last night, said AKM Kauser Ahmed, OC of Sadar Police Station.
Polling centres have been set up in the schools, police said.
GAIBANDHA
Four schools in Palashbari upazila were torched, said Md Kamruzzaman, a sub-inspector of Palashbari Police Station.
Doors, windowpanes, benches of the buildings of four schools were burnt in the flames; police said adding that locals doused the fire.
PIROJPUR
Miscreants torched a polling centre at Debipur Government Primary School at Mathbaria upazila this morning, confirmed upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Md Ahsan Habib, also the returning officer.
BARGUNA
Four primary schools — Lemua, Moddho Pathakata and K Latabaria government primary schools in Sadar upazila and Arpangashi Government Primary School in Amtoli upazila — were torched in the district.
Zaid Shahriar, assistant superintendent of police in Barguna (Sadar circle), said chair, table and other furniture of Pathakata school were burnt totally while three other schools were partially damaged.
BOGRA
Incidents of fire at three polling centres were reported in the district.
Shaheed Zia non-government primary school in Shajahanpur upazila was torched around 9:30pm, said UNO Abdur Rahman.
Ridhail Government Primary School in Nandigram upazila was set alight after midnight, confirmed UNO Abhijit Roy.
Kahlu police said Kallapara Government Primary School was torched around 8:00pm.
KUSHTIA
Furniture of polling centre set up at Alampur Government Primary School was burnt after miscreants set fire to a room of the school, said assistant commissioner and magistrate Mousumi Afrida.
BRAHMANBARIA
Four rooms of Khudra Brahmanbaril Government Primary School was burnt after miscreants set those on fire around 5:00am, Shafiqul Islam, president of the managing committee of the school confirmed.